“It spent time at the southern end making a bund but nothing was done at this end. The travellers come every year and it costs the taxpayers because of legal fees and the clear up.”

Mr Putland, who called the police when the travellers drove their quads to his drive and revved their engines, complained that tools worth £200 were stolen from a nearby allotment before they left.

He said: “There were clear marks on the allotment showing that the tools had been dragged through a hole in a hedge that led directly to the area the travellers were occupying.

“The travellers left behind mounds of hardcore, bottles cans, faeces, clothing and general debris covering the whole of the common.”

Another resident living close to the common who did not want to be named added: “They defecate on the common and you see used tissue paper being blown around.

“This is what upsets us most. We have a beautiful amenity and the travellers have left an unspeakable mess on it and the bill is paid by us. They contribute nothing.”

Chobham Parish councillor Wendy Bentall added: “These people were here for only four nights. There were four thefts in that time, although we cannot automatically assume it was them. They have caused thousands of pounds of damage to the common in a short space of time.

“They have now moved on and if they are doing this on another site it will cut a swathe through country. There should be a zero tolerance policy on them because we shouldn’t have to put up with this.

“There is so much rubbish on the land from builders waste to oil and they even lit fires on the land barely a week after the huge Chobham Common fire. Just think if they are doing this and moving from place to place. It is appalling.”

The clear-up operation has already begun and county councillor for Chobham Lavinia Sealy said the council acted swiftly when it learned of the incursion.

She added: “It acted as quickly as possible and the travellers left when they said they would.

“If they had still been there on Monday, legal action would have been taken. There is quite a lot of rubbish left behind but a lot of it was bagged up. They had an agreement to bag it up.

“Our next move, along with Surrey Wildlife Trust, is to secure that bit of common against further incursions. The council would like to do this in consultation with residents.

“You can’t just fence the common. It has to be done so that it is in keeping with common land requirements. “We do not want to stop people walking on the land but we do want to stop people driving on it.”